Between the hazy traffic fumes and rising desert dust that looms in clouds above the Giza cityscape just west of Cairo central, one can usually make out the faint silhouettes of unquestionably Egypt’s most definitive sight: the sharp triangles of the Giza Necropolis, with its crumbling Sphinx and sprawling concomitant ruins.
If you’re looking to get up-close-and-personal with these quintessential sights, then staying in Giza is the perfect choice. Lively and awash with hotels, hostels and guesthouses, the city sits in the perpetual gaze of the Necropolis itself, and is a great spot from which to launch camel treks through the desert plateaus or historical tours of the ancient site.
While the 5,000-year-old Great Pyramid of Giza and the mysterious and monolithic Great Sphinx are the star attractions, plan your visit with your Giza tourist guide keeping in mind the other ‘must see’ pyramids, tombs and monuments that dot the plateau, including the Giza Museum, the world’s largest archaeological museum coming up in the vicinity.